Circuit-connector switch.



H..A. DOUGLAS. CIRCUIT CONNECTOR SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED Aue.2a. um.

1,261,790. A Patented Apr.9;1918

Tt-LEREY A. IDGUG'LfiS, Q15 B'BONSON, MICHIGAN, .AESIZGNOR TO DUUGLAS c RUDE? GTE BRDNSON, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

GIRC'UKT-CONNECTOR SWXTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ann ll,

Application filed August 23, 1917. Serial No. 187,?93.

To aZJ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Hanna A. Become, a citizen of the United btates, residing at Bronson, in the county of Branch and tjtate of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Connector Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to circuit connectors that are also constructed to function as switches and is an iu'iproveinent upon the connector switch claimed in in Patent No. 1,220,139, dated March 320, 191?. The switch disclosed in my aforesaid patent included a shell having bayonet slots at the ends thereof, the bayonet slot at one end having two bayonet pin engaging seats spaced apart longitudinally of the shell, contact carriers at, the ends of the shell and having bayonet pins engageable with the seats in the bayonet slots, an. intermediate contact carrier within the shell and carry ing contacts upon the ends thereof which. are engageable with the contacts upon the aforesaid contact carriers, the contact element upon the end of the intermediate con tact carrier that is adjacent that end of the shell whose bayonet slot has two seats being substantially coaxial with the shell, an abutment surrounding the latter contact and having a cup-shaped portion engaging the carrier at the latter end of the shell and surscopically received.

rounding the contact upon this carrier that is complemental to the contiguous contact upon the intermediate carrier, and a spring maintaining pressure of the abutment against the end contact carrier engaged by the abutment.

In practising my present invention, the contacts upon the ends oil the intermediate contact carrier have telescoping engagement with each other, both of these contacts being sliding contacts and one at least being a tubular contact in which the other is tele' These telescoping contacts have motion limiting formations whereby the extent to which they may be spread apart is limited, and whereby one of these contacts is prevented from follow" ing the end contact carrier, that has inner nd outer bayonet slot, seats, to its outer s ition so that when this and contact carrier is in. such outer position the circuit is opened.

These and other characteristics oi any inveutiou will be fully set forth by reference to the preferred embodiment thcreoi shown by the accompanying drawing in which Figure l is a view partially in elevation and partially in section illustrating a form of my invention, that plug which is adjustable longitudinally 'of the shell being shown in its inner position; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the longitudinally "ustable )lu in its outer nosition Fin". 3 is i D A 5 a longitudinal sectionaljview of the turn minus the end contact carriers; Fl .1 is an end view looking at the right has d of the construction as it appears in l? and Fig. 5 is a view on line 5 5 of Like parts are indicated by similar actors of reference throughout the different figures.

The switch of my invention includes metallic current conducting shell 1 having bayonet slots and 3 in the ends thereon The bayonet slot 2 has one bayonet oin en gugin seat 4 while the bayonet slot 3 has an inner oayonet slot seat 5 an outer bay ouct slot seat 6, these bayonet slot seats a and 6 being spaced apart longitudinally of the shell. In the preferred embodin'. nt of the invention there are two bayonet sl 2 each with its seat a and two bayonet sl 3 each with its seats 5 and 6. An end tact. carrier 7 has bayonet pins 8 projecting therefrom which are receivable in the bayouct slots 2 and the seats 4 rovided in these slots. An end contact carrier has bayonet pins 10 proiecting therefrom which are ceivable in the bayonet slots 3 and the and 6 provided in these slots. The contact 7 includes an inclcsing metallic p carrier sheath 11 that constitutes one terminal or the lamp filament 12 of the lamp iii-carried by the contact carrier 7. The contact carrier 9 includes an inclosing metallic sheath 14. that constitutes one terminal of one of the conductors 15 leading to a source of current. The sheaths l1 and ll have electrical contact with the metallic shell 1 whereby the conductor 15 is connected with one terminal of the lamp filament 12. The contact carrier 7 carries a central contact, 16 cons't-itutiugl' the remaining terminal oil the i818: filament 12. The contact carrier 9 carries central contact l? constituting a termina ol' the conductor 18 extending from the source of current tlmt is in luded between. this conductor and the conductor 15a I provide an intermediate contact carrier 19 within the shell in a mid-position between the end contactearricrs 7 and 9. This intermediate contact has a central opening extending longitudinally of the shell. There is a tubular sliding contact 20 for engagement with the central contact 17 upon the end carrier 9, this tubular sliding contact having sliding engagement with the intermediate contact carrier in the central opening therein. This sliding contact also has motion limiting formations 0r flanges 21, 22 that are engageable with the intermediate contact carrier and between which the intermediate contact carrier is disposed. A second tubular sliding contact 23, in electrical connection with the contact 20, also movable longitudinally of the shell, is in telescoping engagement with the other sliding contact 20, these sliding contacts having interengaging motion limiting formations 24:, 25 whereby the extent to which these contacts may be outwardly extended with respect to each other is limited. A spring 26 is disposed Within the tubular sliding contacts and operates to press outwardly upon these contacts to engage each one with the central contact upon the adjacent end contact carrier. There is a cup shaped abutment 27 at the end of the shell that has the two bayonet seated slots 3. This abutment is spaced apart, by an annular space, from the central contact 17 and also surrounds the sliding contact 20. The motion limiting formation 21 upon the sliding contact 20 permits engagement between the central contact 17 and the sliding contact 20 when the contact carrier 9 is in its inner position, but when this contact carrier 9 is being placed in its outer position the motion limiting formation 21 engages the intermediate contact carrier 19 before the contact carrier 9 reaches its outer position so that when such contact carrier has reached its outer position the contact 20 is held out of engagement with the contact 17 to open the circuit of the lamp, it being understood that the lamp circuit is closed when'the carrier 9 is in its inner position by way of the electrically connected contacts 20 and 23 and the central contacts 17 and 16 respectively engaged thereby. A

spring 28 is interposed betwen the intermediate. contact carrier 19 and the cupshaped abutment 27 to maintain this abutment in engagement with the end contact carrier 9 while this end contact carrier is in either of its inner or outer positions. This abutment supplements the spring 26 in its function of maintaining the pins of the end contact carriers firmly in their bayonet seats when the contact carrier 9 is in its inner position. When the contact carrier 9 1s in its outer position the spring 26 functions only to hold the end contact carrier 7 in engagement with its bayonet seats, this spring performing this function through the intermediation of the tubular contact 20 and the flange 21 that is then pressed by this spring against the interme 'diate contact carrier 19. The spring 28 serves to hold the contact carrier 9 in its outer bayonet seats (5 to maintain assembly of this contact carrier and the shell while the lamp circuit is opened. The cup-shaped abutment and the sliding contact 20 which it surrounds have interengagement (due to the flange 22 upon the contact 20) that prevents this switching contact and abutment from becoming separated but permits the cup-shaped abutment to maintain engagement with the end contact carrier when this carrier is in its outer position.

Having-thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following A switch including a shell havin bayonet slots at the ends thereof, the Eayonet slot at one end having two bayonet pin engaging seats spaced apart longitudinally of the shell; end contact carriers at the ends of the shell and having bayonet pins engageable with the seats in the bayonet slots; central contacts upon the inner ends of said end contact carriers; an intermediate contact carrier within the shell and provided with a central opening extending longitudinally of the shell; a tubular sliding contact for engagement with the central'contact upon one of the end Contact carriers and having sliding engagement with the intermediate contact carrier in the central opening therein, this tubular sliding contact having motion limiting formations engageable with the intermediate contact carrier and between which the intermediate carrier is disposed; a second sliding contact movable longitudinally of the shell and in telescoping engagement with the other sliding contact, these sliding contacts having interengaging motion limiting formations whereby the extent to which they may be outwardly extended with respect to each other is limited; a spring within the aforesaid tubular sliding contact and operating to press outwardly upon the slidin con tacts to engage each sliding contact with the central contact. upon the adjacent end contact carrier; a cup-shaped abutment at the end of the shell that has the two seated bayonet slot and spaced apart from and surrounding the central contact u on the end contact carrier in this end of the shell and also surrounding the sliding contact engageable with this central contact, a motion limiting formation upon this sliding contact permitting engagement of this sliding contacfiwith this central contact when the end contact carrier for this central contact engages its inner bayonet- @1151 prevanting such engagement Whm end Barri-21' engages its outer: S3053 seat; a spring interposed be Li w intermediate contact carrier and .3. abutment to maintain this ai'm'fim snt in engagement with the last mansifined and cemtact carrier when held in @iifihex of its Bayonet slot seats, said nupshapec? abukrgenc and the sliding cam/act it arreunds having mterengagement that prevents this sliing csnmct a'ndi abutment from becoming separated but permits the cup-shaped abutment t0 maintain engagemen: with the last meneionerl emi contact carrier While held in the outer sea; of its two seated receiving bayonet slat.

In Witness whereof, I hereunw subscribe my name this 1st day 0f Aug, A. D. 1917.

HARRY A. DUUGLA Q 

